Here's where I put my creations on display

Lecciones de Escuchar

Friends. I have to sit down and be humble. I don't know why but it didn't click that I can write in Spanish and English at the same time. Thanks to an Aunty, I will do both. So, first in Spanish and then English.

But what's been up with me? In general: growth. Each time I think I have things organized and arranged in my head, life comes and licks me for six. At times the licks are soft and manageable but there's the opposite as well.

In March, I was very preoccupied with the idea of traveling. Not just the idea. I was confused about what I want to do with my time here. Many of my program-mates had plans to travel - Italy, France, England, Germany - and I started to think, "I guess I should travel as well". So I made plans with a friend to go to Paris but I didn't feel 100% while we made the plans. In the end, I didn't go to Paris with her.

Later, we started to think about traveling during Holy Week but I was only interested in seeing friends (from my first month in Granada) and eating new things and pastries. I really don't know how to describe it exactly. It's not that I'm not interacted in seeing different places but I just had a feeling that the timing wasn't right. It was hard to explain and still is. So I didn't go.

Throughout all of this, I was confused with myself. I thought something was wrong with me because I preferred to stay in Granada when there's so much to Europe to see. I wasn't sure if I was being shy or lazy or stingy or if the idea of traveling frightened me. I spoke with family and friends and they gave me contrasting bits of advice. On one hand, they told me that being in Europe is a unique opportunity. I should travel everywhere. On the other hand, they told me that being in Spain is a unique opportunity. I should stay and learn what I can about the culture.

Last week, I went to Santiago de Compostela in the northwest of Spain. I don't know why but I really wanted to visit Galicia. I heard that it's a precious region and very different from other parts of Spain - with a Celtic feel and good seafood. I went alone. A flight to Santiago and for the return - a flight to Madrid and then a bus back to Granada after three or four hours in Madrid.

It was rainy and cold when I got to Santiago. In spite of this, it was one of the best trips that I've had. The fears that I'm too shy or don't like traveling or seeing new places disappeared. The freedom to do what I wanted to was refreshing. I didn't have to talk with anyone in the hostel - only if I wanted to. I didn't have to spend more time in one place. It didn't matter to anybody if I spend all of Saturday in the market, walking around the streets and then chilling in a cafe.

Going back to the bits of advice, I realized that the conversation I remember the best was with Daddy. We were talking about Paris and after my reasoning and explanations and arguments for and against, he asked me, "Keren, do you want to go to Paris now? If you don't feel like doing something, don't do it".

The photo is from my diary: Tuesday, February 14, 2017. It took me over a month to understand something that I already knew. That's life, I guess.